Box Score Box Score

STEVENS POINT – Jared Beckwith (Baraboo/Baraboo) (Baraboo) connected with Brad Kalsow (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) (Huntley, Ill.) for a 14 yard touchdown pass with 3:24 remaining in the game, and Ryan Graboski (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury)'s (Woodbury, Minn.) point after gave the Pointers the 10-9 victory over the visiting Cougars of Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon.

In an afternoon that saw seven Pointer punts and 146 yards of passing, it was Beckwith's pass to Kalsow as the Pointers drove down the field, behind by six, that was the story of the day for UWSP.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Pointers got on the board with :52 remaining in the opening half, as Graboski hit a 20 yard field goal, capping a 19 play, 79 yard drive that consumed 10:23.

After a John Jones (Oregon/Oregon) (Oregon) interception on the ensuing Azusa possession, the Pointers had another opportunity to score, but Beckwith's rush with time running down came up just short, as Azusa's Shea Struiksma (Artesia, Calif.) made the tackle on the quarterback keeper, keeping the score a 3-0 advantage for the Pointers heading into the locker room.

Defense again took center stage in the second half, with neither team able to get into scoring position until Azusa's Corey Lenahan (La Mirada, Calif.) tied the game at 3-3 with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter, knocking home a 36 yard kick, capping an 11 play, 55 yard drive for the Cougars.

After a stalled Pointer drive ended in a missed 35 yard kick by Graboski to open the fourth quarter, Azusa drove down the field on a 13 play, 73 yard drive that ended in Lenahan connecting on another field goal, this time from 24 yards out, giving Azusa the 6-3 advantage.

On the ensuing kickoff, Azusa capitalized on a Pointer miscue, falling on the ball in Pointer territory, getting the ball back at the Pointer 23 yard line. After two rushes for a loss of four yards, thanks to two huge tackles from Brian Bailey (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) (New Lisbon), Lenahan put a 44 yard kick between the uprights, giving the Cougars a 9-3 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

After a Jack Marx (Scandinavia/Iola-Scandinavia) (Scandinavia) 23 yard kick return put the Pointers in Azusa territory, Beckwith found Kalsow for completions of three, two and 17 yards to give the Pointers a first and 10 on the Azusa 14 yard line when Beckwith found Kalsow for the tying score. Graboski's kick was good, and the Pointers went ahead 10-9.

With :53 remaining and Azusa driving, Tyler Florczak (Chetek/Chetek) (Chetek) sealed the game with an interception, his second of the game, to give the Pointers the ball, and the win, 10-9.

For the Pointers, Beckwith was 18-for-31 for 146 yards and one touchdown. Kalsow led the way receiving, racking up 66 yards on seven receptions and tallied the lone touchdown of the game. Mike Ferron (Racine/Horlick) (Racine) was the leading rusher for the Pointers, gaining 114 yards on 25 carries in his return to the Pointer lineup, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. It was his fourth career game for the Pointers with 100-plus yards on the ground.

On defense, Bailey led the way with ten tackles, three for loss. Bryan Blum (Baraboo/Baraboo) (Baraboo) tallied nine tackles, Luke Frisch (Nekoosa/Nekoosa) (Nekoosa) had six and Brandon Stremkowski (Stevens Point/SPASH) (Stevens Point) and John Jones (Oregon/Oregon) each had one interception to go with two from Florczak.

For Azusa, Chris Brown (Fresno, Calif.) tallied 104 yards on 22 carries, a 4.7 yard per carry average. Quarterback John Van Den Raadt (Mira Loma, Calif.) went 14-for-28 for 131 yards, connecting with James Burke (Antioch, Calif.) five times for 50 yards.

Jay York (Katy, Texas), Michael Moreno (Campbell, Calif.) and Andre Hunter (Lancaster, Calif.) led the way defensively for the Cougars, each recording eight tackles each in the loss.
This was the fifth win out of the last six for the Pointers by three points or less. The past three seasons, the Pointers have won 10 games by three points or less including five in 2006, three in 2007 and two this season.

UWSP (3-0) begins Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action next week when they travel to UW-River Falls on Saturday, Oct. 4 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Azusa (1-4) next travels to Arcata, Calif. on Oct. 4 for a 6 p.m. match-up with Humboldt State.